Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) held a protest rally in Kolkata against the Trinamool Congress (TMC)-led West Bengal government, demanding the resignation of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The protest follows the recent Supreme Court verdict that upheld the cancellation of over 25,000 teacher and non-teaching staff appointments made through the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment process in 2016.
The Supreme Court, on April 3, endorsed the Calcutta High Court’s earlier decision to quash the controversial recruitment drive, stating that the entire selection process was marred by widespread manipulation and fraud. A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar described the recruitment process as “tainted beyond resolution” and cited attempts at a cover-up that further eroded the legitimacy of the appointments.
“This is a case wherein the entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution,” the bench noted in its judgement. “Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with the attempted cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair and partial redemption.”
The top court refused to overturn the High Court’s directive to terminate the services of those found to be “tainted” and ordered them to refund all salaries and payments received during their tenure. Since their appointments were the result of fraud, this amounts to cheating. “Therefore, we see no justification to alter this direction,” the court observed.
The verdict came in response to a petition filed by the West Bengal government, which challenged the April 2022 Calcutta High Court order. The Supreme Court reserved its judgement in the matter in February.
The BJP has since intensified its political offensive, accusing the state government of corruption and demanding accountability in light of the Supreme Court’s findings.
